Pop Culture
Anime and movies are the way many people
first become acquainted with Japanese culture. As long as you
remember that not everyone talks like Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo,
this stuff probably won't cause any permanent harm... BTW, for
a great selection of the movies themselves, stop by the Video Aisle (it's just down there, on the left).
Adult Manga: Culture and Power in Contemporary Japanese Society by Sharon Kinsella Paperback
240 pages
Academic work documenting the structure and history of the manga industry, its related subculture and the anti-nerd otaku panic, and the relationship between the artists and editors.
Anime: From Akira to Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation by Susan Jolliffe Napier Paperback
304 pages
The Anime!: Movie Guide Paperback
Feature films and direct-to-video features, arranged by title, year of release, and subject, released since 1983.
The Anime Companion: What's Japanese in Japanese Animation by Gilles Poitras Paperback
176 pages
More than 500 glossary-style entries on "fandom, food, anime babes, large eyes, and sex and bloody noses." 30 photos. 45 line drawings.
The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 by Jonathan Clements Paperback
592 pages
Anime Essentials: Every Thing a Fan Needs to Know by Gilles Poitras Paperback
144 pages
Anime Interviews: The First Five Years of Animerica, Anime & Manga Monthly (1992-97) by Trish Ledoux (Editor) Paperback
175 pages
Anime Trivia Quizbook: From Easy to Otaku Obscure by Ryan Omega Paperback
176 pages
Over 400 questions that cover "all the major genres, from giant robots and space aliens to silent samurai and giggly girls." A fun book, with lots of graphics.
Archetypes in Japanese Film: The Sociopolitical and Religious Significance of the Principal Heroes and Heroines by Gregory Barrett Hardcover
Asian Cult Cinema by Thomas Weisser, Thomas Weissner, Max Allan Collins (Introduction) Paperback
352 pages
This book focuses mainly on the cartoony, violent, and excessive in Hong Kong cinema. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it does mostly neglect Japanese films.
Asian Horror Encyclopedia: Asian Horror Culture in Literature, Manga, and Folklore by Laurence C. Bush Paperback
227 pages
Cinema, Censorship, and the State: The Writings of Nagisa Oshima 1956-1978 by Annette Michelson Paperback
320 pages
Cinematic Landscapes: Observations on the Visual Arts and Cinema of China and Japan by Linda C. Ehrlich, David Desser Paperback
365 pages
Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga Paperback
Collection of short, illustrated essays. Chapters on issues in modern manga, manga magazines, artists and their works, Osamu Tezuka, manga and other media, and manga in the English-speaking world.
Eastern Standard Time: A Guide to Asian Influence on American Culture: From Astro Boy to Zen Buddhism by Jeff Yang (Editor), Dina Gan (Contributor), Terry Hong (Contributor) Paperback
340 pages
From Korean barbecue to dim sum, and feng xui to martial arts: a guide to concepts, events, people, trends, and products that have been imported from Asia to America. Photos and drawings.
The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture Paperback
Film, cartoons, pop music, comedians, matinee idols, sumo wrestlers, gourmet fads, best sellers, baseball stars, quiz shows, discos and song contests.
The Erotic Anime Movie Guide by Helen McCarthy, Jonathan Clements Paperback
192 pages
A handbook of erotic anime. Bibliography. Filmography. Glossary of Japanese terms. 64 illustrations.
From Book to Screen: Modern Japanese Literature in Films by Keiko I. McDonald Paperback
Fruits Postcards by Shoichi Aoki
Forty-five Tokyo street fashion portraits document the changing face of youth culture/street fashion throughout the last decade.
Godzilla Takes the Bronx: The Inside Story of Hideki Matsui by Jerry Beach Hardcover
242 pages
Strictly-for-fans book about the Japanese baseball player who joined the New York Yankees.
Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation by Helen McCarthy Paperback
240 pages
The author of The Anime!: Movie Guide andThe Erotic Anime Movie Guide looks at the life and work of the creator of animation classics like My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service.
Hibakusha Cinema: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Nuclear Image in Japanese Film by Mick Broderick Hardcover
The Japan/America Film Wars: World War II Propaganda and Its Cultural Contexts (Studies in Film and Video, Vol 1) by Markus Nornes Paperback
Japanese Baseball: A Statistical Handbook by Daniel E. Johnson
English language collection of professional Japanese baseball from 1936 through 1997: team standings; qualifiers for batting and earned run championships; leaders in home runs, runs batted in, wins and strikeouts; all-star game results; Japan Series results; Best Nine selections; Gold Glove selections; award winners; career records; single-season records; no-hit, no-run games; and records of foreign tours of Japan by professional teams.
Japanese Cinema: An Introduction (Images of Asia) by Donald Richie Hardcover
Japanese Classical Theater in Films by Keiko I. McDonald Hardcover
The Japanese Film: Art and Industry by Donald Richie Paperback
The Japanese Filmography: A Complete Reference to 209 Filmmakers and the over 1250 Films Released in the United States, 1900 Through 1994 by Stuart Galbraith Hardcover
Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films: A Critical Analysis of 103 Features Released in the United States, 1950-1992 by Stuart Galbraith Hardcover
Picturing Japaneseness: Monumental Style, National Identity, Japanese Film (Film and Culture) by Darrell William Davis Hardcover
Also available in Paperback.
Reframing Japanese Cinema: Authorship, Genre, History by Arthur Nolletti, David Desser Paperback
Samurai from Outer Space: Understanding Japanese Animation Paperback
Explains anime as it relates to Buddhist and Shinto traditions, Ninja and Samurai myths, Confucianism, woodblock painting, traditional theater, and contemporary Japanese culture.
The Samurai Way of Baseball: The Impact of Ichiro and the New Wave from Japan by Robert Whiting Paperback
A look at Japanese culture and the way baseball has shaped society in that country. The book isn't so much about Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki as it is about every Japanese player who made the jump to the U.S. before and after him.
Sex and Zen & A Bullet in the Head by Stefan Hammond, Mike Wilkins, Jackie Chan Paperback
272 pages
"Dodge a thousand bullets as you contemplate the heroic gangster-knights of Master Director John Woo. Watch international superstar Jackie Chan perform action-comedy on the edge of peril. Wrap your imagination in the fantasy of director Tsui Hark, who proffers comely ghosts floating on silk, otherworldly romance, and no-joke witches and demons. Fighting femme flicks featuring fatales hiking up their designer dresses and bouncing spike heels off the bad guy's forehead." Who could ask for anything more?
So Crazy Japanese Toys! by Jimbo Matison Paperback
136 pages
Color photos showcase action figures/creatures from early and obscure Japanese childrens TV shows to international heros like Ultraman, Space Giants, and Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot.
Something Like an Autobiography by Akira Kurosawa Paperback
Tears of Longing: Nostalgia and the Nation in Japanese Popular Song by Christine R. Yano Paperback
250 pages
Examination of Enka music.
Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews by Carl Macek (Foreword), Fred Patten Paperback
360 pages
Anime expert Fred Patten's quarter-century of observations on the business of anime, fandom, artists, Japanese society and the most influential titles. Illustrated with original fanzine covers and archival photos.
The Worlds of Japanese Popular Culture: Gender, Shifting Boundaries and Global
Cultures by D.P. Martinez (Editor) Paperback
224 pages
The Yakuza Movie Book: A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films by Mark Schilling Paperback
320 pages
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